Spain

Spain is seen as an exotic country because of its friendly people, warm weather, laid-back lifestyle, cuisine, exciting night-life, and its world famous festivities and folk-lore. In a country that is so geographically and culturally diverse, there is no telling what possibilities lay in store for your vacation. Whether you are tanning at the beaches, running with bulls, or exploring old historical sites, you are sure to find something interesting to do in this diverse country.

Another part of the countries’ diversity lies within the different languages that are spoken. In general, in Spain, they speak Spanish but this is not exactly accurate, a more accurate term for the most widely spoken language would be Castilian and then there are a few other forms of Spanish that are divided into several subcategories which are Catalan, Basque, Galician, Asturian and some others. Try and be careful when you are speaking about the different dialects of the country and try not to get into debates about what is and is not considered Spanish with the locals. In most cases, you will just end up in a long argument, but in some areas where the Spanish and regional pride is especially prevalent, violent outbursts have been known to occur.

When entering Spain, you generally do not need a tourist visa if you are from another country belonging to the EU, or if your country has a treaty with the EU regarding travel into these countries. Make sure you have the correct currency, the Euro, when traveling in these countries, because they generally don’t accept other currencies except occasionally the USD in major shops and airports. When trying to get around Spain, it is not recommended that you hitch-hike, instead, the easiest way to get around is by riding the bus. If you do not want to ride a bus, you may want to rent a car, but make sure it has a GPS system because the streets of Spain can be complicated and new comers and visitors can find themselves easily lost.